Real Money Specialty Games Guide

When you think of casino games, what comes to mind first? For most people, casino games refer to games like blackjack and roulette, or the familiar sounds of a slot machine paying out a jackpot. However, there are a series of games that don’t really fit into the categories of table games or slots. These games are usually referred to as specialty games. In some cases, they require a little bit of skill, while in other cases they need literally no skill at all. On this page, we are going to cover some of the different types of Specialty Games you may find at either a land-based or online casino.

Why play Specialty Games in a casino?

The easy answer is that these games are fun! Specialty Games are typically designed around being more social than the traditional table games. For that reason, there is usually much less money bet on these games than say the amount you would spend on a hand of blackjack. The introduction of online real money casinos opened the doors to many more specialty games flooding the market. Without having to take up space in a casino location, and online casino operator can put as many of these games that are available in their lobby for players to select from. You will usually find these games in their own category in a casino lobby; some casinos categorize certain table games as specialty games, but for the purposes of this page we are going to focus on the games that aren’t table games or slots.

Types of Real Money Specialty Casino Games

Bingo Games

Bingo is a casino game that is very popular amongst a certain demographic of player. The game is incredibly easy to play and can create some large jackpot prizes, so it finds itself not only being played in old-school bingo halls, but also in some land-based casinos and almost all online real money casinos There are many different types of bingo games – 30 ball, 75 ball and 90 ball being the most popular. With online casinos becoming more popular each day, we have started to see online bingo games take on certain themes as well, trying to make the game even more exciting than it already is. Bingo games online only take a minute or two to complete, so it is easy to jump in whenever you get the urge to play.

Scratch Cards

The lottery business generates significant revenue for governments around the world. In the U.S., scratch cards make up a large piece of that revenue, with well over 40 Billion dollars of tickets sold in 2015. Yes, you read that correctly – those cards you see on the counter at any convenience store created 40 BILLION dollars of revenue in a year. For many reasons, mainly political, the land-based lottery industry has not yet accepted the digital game into their fold. Their loss is the gain of the online casino world, as now across most operators you can find various scratch cards in the Specialty Games tab of their lobby. Online scratch cards work the same way that they do when you buy them from the store. You select a card and use your mouse to reveal the symbols, then check to see if you have the winning selection. Online real money scratch cards are perfect for the mobile real money casino player because when the ticket is displayed on a smartphone, the gameplay mirrors the exact play of a physical card. Instead of using a mouse, the player uses their finger to “scratch” off the cover to reveal the symbols or numbers. With mobile use continuing to grow globally, we are sure you will see massive increases in online real money scratch tickets sold in the coming years.

Skill Games

The category of Skill Games is relatively new compared to the traditional casino games. It started with skill-based bonus games of slot machines; trying to catch fish or shoot a target to receive a higher bonus or more free spins. The casino industry noticed that the games that offered bonus rounds were more popular, and in fact, most people wanted to play the bonus games more than the actual slot machine because they felt their skill could affect the outcome. While this is somewhat true in the slots world, what happened as the introduction of a whole new vertical of gaming. Currently, you can find games like Sudoku available for real money play; solving a puzzle in a particular time will win you a prize. Also these days, some companies are building skill-based games as the front end of gaming, with the slot machine being the bonus level. Companies like Gamblit Gaming have recently released these games onto casino floors in the U.S.

eSports

This is a brand new category of Specialty Game, but you can expect to see the online casino world adopt it into their fold very quickly. eSports is a type of gaming where you can pay real money to play video games against other players in a tournament-style format. This actually began when people were making side bets on who would have a higher score on games like Pac-Man in the 1980s, but it has found new life and legitimacy with the increase in online gaming worldwide. Now, you can find sites where you can play NBA2k and win huge jackpots. Not only that, but there are professional eSports leagues that you can follow and actually bet on at many online casinos and sportsbooks. Many land-based casinos are replacing their dead areas like unused bar space or poker rooms with new eSports lounges; the industry is here to stay and continues to grow at exponential rates. Now is the time to dust off that Xbox and get working on your Street Fighter skills!

Conclusion

As you can see, there is a whole subset of real money casino gambling that doesn’t involve table games or slots. The next time you walk into a land-based casino or log on to your favorite online site, have a look around; you may be surprised how many different, exciting options there are for your real money gambling enjoyment!